The current slump by the Sabres has experts scratching their heads searching for an explanation. Some say it is the holdout situation that caused a disruption, both on and off the ice. Others think there could be another reason for their winless start.

Darcy Regier was on Empire Sports tonight and was asked his feeling about the Sabres slow start this season. He went in great detail explaining his thoughts that the Sabres are going through a post-mortem syndrome, or a Stanley Cup hangover, if you will. He said that he had discussions with Lindy Ruff about it during the preseason and again just recently. Both agree that there is the element of the letdown with the team. The players are still in a shock from losing the Stanley Cup, not only the way they lost it, but also the effort it took to get there in the first place.

The team has yet to win a game or show the intensity it displayed during its whirlwind romp through the playoffs last season. The hitting isn't there and neither is the play-making. As for the goaltending, that is a totally different matter.

Dominik Hasek is experiencing his own struggles in the nets. After being chased from goal by the expansion Atlanta Thrashers, who scored 4 goals on him in less than half a game, Hasek is a big question mark this season. Is he just going through the motions until he can retire to his homeland and his riches? Does that old Marv Levy's maxim apply here: "Once a person thinks about retiring, he IS retired"? The game before that, against the Capitals, he allowed at least two goals that he normally would have stopped. During Monday night's game, the Sabres came within 5 seconds of winning their first game of the 1999-2000 campaign. Travis Green, skated into the corner and threw the puck out in front of the net in a desperate attempt to produce a goal. The puck ricocheted off Alexei Zhitnik's skate and zipped in-between Hasek's pads for the tying goal. The jury is still out on that one whether Hasek had a chance to stop it.

With all the players now back with the team, it may still take a while before the team is firing on all cylinders. Rhett Warrener was the last to sign, just a couple days ago. He skated for the first time today and reported that his ankle that he broke in the Stanley Cup finals is still sore. The Sabres said that he will not play Saturday in Montreal and are considering placing him on the injured reserve list. By doing so, it would allow both Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre and Cory Sarich to remain with the club. It would also give Warrener time to get back into playing shape.

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